The best leadership style has long been a debated topic. There are many different leadership styles and each can be appropriate in certain contexts. In this article, we will take a look at the different leadership styles in management and how Sinnaps project management software can support your leadership experience.
Índice
Democratic Leadership Style
Democratic leadership, which is also known as participative leadership or shared leadership, has more control than the delegating leadership style which will be covered later in the article. This leadership style involves strong participation from team members in decision-making. Everybody can participate, discussion and debate are encouraged and ideas flow freely.
Communication is essential with this type of leadership style. Sinnaps program management software is cloud-based, meaning you can communicate freely with your team wherever you may be located. There are also various communication tools such as live in-chat features, a project wall and e-mail updates so everyone is constantly in the loop and able to ask questions and resolve doubts.
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The Different Leadership Styles in Management
The following list of leadership styles gives a summary of the different leadership styles in management. A leadership style assessment can help you to determine which you naturally are, and your organisational context will tell you which you need to be:
- Authoritarian Leadership Style: This leadership style is centred around the leader.
- Democratic Leadership: Both the team and leader participate in decision-making.
- Cross-Cultural Leadership: This leadership style is applicable to multi-national organisations.
- Strategic Leadership Style: Used to influence members to wok towards achieving the goals of the organisation.
- Transformational Leadership: Often used if an organisation is experiencing change.
- Team Leadership Style: Used to diagnose the problem of the team structure and how to solve them.
- Facilitative Leadership: All about developing a support system. Very people and quality centred.
- Laissez-faire Leadership: Used when team member skills and capabilities are high, and they can perform work without surveillance of a leader.
- Transactional Leadership: Focuses on supervision, organisation and group performance.
- Coaching Leadership: This is one of the most useful leadership styles in business. Leaders using this style coach team members for the future.
- Charismatic Leadership: Leaders with his style of leadership tend to have a likeable personality and are very persuasive.
- Visionary Leadership: The leader or organisation have a specific vision and the leader is tasked with guiding everyone towards reaching that vision.
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Goleman Leadership Styles
You may wonder what are the different leadership styles, and if so, Daniel Goleman, a behavioural science journalist proposed the following six in what have become to be known as the Goleman leadership styles:
- Visionary: Out of all the leadership styles in organizations, the visionary leadership style creates the most positive climate. This style guides the team towards the accepted vision and works best when direction is needed.
- Coaching: This leadership style helps to develop people for the future.
- Affiliative: This leadership style involves creating emotional bonds with team members and taking their feeling and needs into high regard. This style is useful for when an organisation may be experiencing stress.
- Democratic: This leadership style is all about building consensus through participation. It helps team members to feel that their input is valued.
- Pacesetting: This leadership style should only be used if a team is highly competent. Often a team may need to be capable of self-directing.
- Commanding: This leadership style involves a leader demanding immediate compliance. It is really only suitable for when an organisation is experiencing a crisis.
Leadership Styles Examples in the Workplace
Let’s take a look at some leadership styles examples from the real world which will help to outline the style approach to leadership:
- Democratic leadership style: There have been many leaders who have used the democratic leadership style, including George Washington and Google.
- Directing leadership style: The Military, Leona Helmsley of the Helmsley hotel chain who was nicknamed the ‘queen of mean’.
- Pacesetting leadership style: Jack Welch was the CEO of General Electric in 1981 and believed that leaders should spend their time leading by example and inspiring others rather than micro-managing.
- Laissez-faire leadership style: Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, who practices leaving decision-making and responsibilities to his teams.
- Affiliative leadership style: Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org uses her compassion to motivate people and instils a team mentality across the board.
Tips for Developing Leadership and Management Styles
The most effective leadership style is difficult to determine. It is not as easy as simply choosing between autocratic democratic and Laissez Faire leadership styles. However, the following tips can help you to effectively develop your leadership and management styles, which should be flexible, just as the organisational environment:
- Identify the leadership style you automatically turn towards. How would you describe your leadership style?
- Identify the weaknesses and strengths of that leadership style. There are many articles on leadership styles such as this one that help to outline the benefits and disadvantages of each style.
- Work on the weaknesses of your own leadership style.
- Take example from other leaders that are successful.
- Don’t be afraid to try something different.
- Put yourself in the shoes of your team members.
- There are many different leadership behaviours and styles, you will find one that works!
Overall, leadership is essential to reaching goals as a team. Leaders provide guidance and support. In this article we covered the different organizational behavior leadership styles- make sure you understand the consequences of using each one and correctly apply your leadership to your specific team! Start leading your team with the help of Sinnaps today! 😊
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